In constructing or maintaining buildings, it is often necessary to securely affix conduit, cable, pipes and the like to flat surfaces such as walls and ceilings, by using various hardware devices. Examples of such hardware devices include, for example, conduit clamps and clips, one-hole straps, tie wires, rod couplings, plastic tie wraps and cable wire loops. It is typical to imbed some type of securing device in the substrate to which the hardware device is then attached. Examples of such securing devices include all types of masonary anchors, powder actuated pins and studs, toggle bolts, plastic anchors and screws.
Although imbedding such securing devices in the substrate generally provides a very secure attachment, there are a number of disadvantages to the use of such devices. First, such devices are usually expensive. Second, attachment of any of the foregoing requires the use of expensive power tools, powder activated tools and hand tools, some of which require a local power source. However, it is desirable to have as few power tools as possible on a construction site, as such tools are both expensive and subject to theft, and power sources are not always conveniently available.
Another shortcoming of such securing devices is that it usually takes 3-4 minutes to imbed each such device in the concrete. With ever-increasing labor costs, time-saving methods are more important.
Another shortcoming of using imbeddable securing devices is that, because each device is separately imbedded in the substrate, it can be difficult to align and space multiple devices.
It is known to directly attach certain hardware fixtures, such as electrical junction boxes, to a substrate by applying an adhesive to the back of the box and pressing it against the substrate. Uses of adhesive with various other hardware attachment systems are also shown in representative U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,778,702, 4,706,914, 4,682,748, 4,559,101, 4,390,576, 4,389,035, 4,338,151, 4,167,259, 4,025,015, 3,913,876, 3,880,535, 3,810,596, 3,809,799, 3,666,225, 3,659,319, 3,559,933, 3,542,321, 3,482,809, 2,580,231, 2,385,296. However, the devices disclosed in these patents are generally costly to manufacture, of insufficient strength, and do not allow for automatic alignment and spacing of multiple hardware devices.
Several devices for providing attachment and/or alignment of multiple cables or conduits to a surface at once are known. Patents disclosing such devices include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,770,378, 4,395,009, 3,944,176, 3,917,202, 3,730,242, 3,633,857, 3,576,305, 3,347,505, 3,339,870, 2,535,427 and 2,470,814. However, none of these patents discloses a device which allows a worker to cut a predetermined number of attachment devices from a strip using only a hand tool such as tin snips.